Description

1826 BD-1 Half Eagle, MS62+Less than 40 Known of the Date

1826 $5 MS62+ PCGS. CAC. Breen-6485, BD-1, High R.5.
Bass-Dannreuther Die State a/e. This 1826 half eagle has a Large
Letters reverse die that was previously used in 1820 for BD-4, 5,
and 7. A different Large Letters reverse die, also first used in
1820, was used for the production of 1821 through 1824 half eagles.
New reverse dies were created for the 1825 half eagles, and the old
1820 die was resurrected in 1826. Later in the year, an entirely
new pair of dies was created for 1826 BD-2, the new reverse die
carrying over for production of all 1827 and some 1828 half
eagles.
Although Mint records state that 18,069 half eagles were coined in
1826, the number of survivors today is extremely small. John
Dannreuther estimates a population of just 30 to 40 pieces in all
grades, a figure the cataloger accepts. The second variety, with
the Small Letters reverse, is extremely rare with three examples
known today, including the Bass specimen at the ANA, the
Smithsonian specimen in Washington, and an MS65 example in the
David Akers collection, the only collectible example of that second
variety, carrying a provenance back to the John Story Jenks
collection.
Most surviving 1826 half eagles are AU or lower grade Mint State
coins, such as this Plus-designated Select Mint State specimen, a
fully lustrous yellow-gold example with frosty mint brilliance,
featuring delicate green and rose overtones. The surfaces have a
few minor marks that are expected for the grade. The central
obverse is a trifle weak, with remaining details bold. Population:
1 in 62+, 3 finer (11/11).From The Harvey B. Jacobson, Jr. Collection.(Registry
values: P6) (NGC ID# 25R4, PCGS# 8135)